These are two of the pups that reside at our warehouse...we found a home for one of them (the front one)...he is now Nikos and now lives with one our Embassy families...hopefully we will soon find a home for the others :) I will make it one of my missions to find them good homes.
This is the sunrise on the island of Chios, which I visited in late July 2014. Took this photo right after I got off of the airplane.
The village of Pyrgi on the island of Chios - the village has unique houses that are patterned with "grating" decoration that is created by a plastering technique using black sand and then it is coated with whitewash and then carefully scraped off into intricate designs in geometric patterns. Each home is different. And they are spectacular!!
More of the intricate designs around the village of Pyrgi...so beautiful
The homes were just gorgeous...and each of them was different. Some had been renovated...and others had not. If you notice, there are tomatoes hanging outside the homes...they were fresh...and would eventually become "sundried tomatoes"...this fact kind of escaped me until it was explained to me by someone. I thought that was hilarious once it was finally explained...and I felt slightly stupid as well :)
This lovely woman is a direct descendant of Christopher Columbus. Her great great grandson, John, gave us a 3 hour tour of the town. He was from New York City and was in town to be married a few weeks later. It was indeed a wonderful experience. The island produces many shipping companies and has a rich history of shipping magnates, and also has a naval school, I think. At any rate, this woman was beautiful and allowed me to photograph her. Truly lovely woman.
Pyrgi :) The lumps in the hollow there are swallows nests...they were swarming and swooping throughout the village. They are considered good luck evidently! The star you see next to the town name is also good luck. You will see it prominently displayed in the room that is most used in the home. I purchased a piece of art created by a local artisan and it is now in my living room - hopefully it brings me good luck as well :) One can always hope.
The Great Moon over the sea at our hotel in Chios the weekend we were there. It was absolutely incredible. This photo cannot clearly capture the majesty of it. We had dinner at a wonderful restaurant overlooking the sea (of octopus and wonderful other seafood) that was splendid. Then drove a windy road next to the ocean to get back that was a bit daunting, but was under this amazing moon. Absolutely incredible. The experience was awesome.
Another highlight of Chios is the stone village known as Mesta. This village was like a stone fortress and was absolutely gorgeous. We had lunch here and enjoyed walking through and seeing the different ways they had converted the stone rooms into apartments and homes. Truly incredible.
A view of Mesta
Painting on one of the walls in Mesta
Mesta walkway
In the Embassy we have some resident cats who are cared for by our community. They have all been fixed so they can't reproduce and are fed and taken care of well. One of our drivers found a kitten on the major road in front of the Embassy and brought it in to prevent it from being killed by traffic. We named it Speedbump. It has been growing up well and I had a little photo shoot with it the other day while waiting for a bus :) She is a photogenic little gem.
I spent a weekend with 2 of my friends on the "island" of Evvoia at the town of Rovvies in early August. It isn't far from Athens, and you actually can drive to the island over a bridge or can catch a ferry with your car if you prefer. It is absolutely lovely and relaxing. This was the view from our hotel room...so close to the sea.
The view of the sun setting from our beach chairs in Rovvies, Evvoia. I truly did not want to leave after our weekend was over :)
A friend of mine and I traveled by plane to the island of Corfu for a weekend getaway (much faster than having to drive to the port of Patras and then take a ferry to the island). This is the view of the very clear, blue waters from our lovely beach chairs :) You'll notice I'm on the beach a lot? :)
I snorkel a lot here as well...and here I am snorkeling in Corfu. The underwater camera has been a great investment for me. The waters aren't as "productive" as the oceans in Hawaii or other places where people scuba dive, but they are clear, beautiful and there are little fish, octopus, sea slugs, sea urchins, different types of anemones and things like that to see. There are also sharks and seals in various places in the Aegean I have heard...though I haven't seen them myself :) I would prefer not to see the sharks anytime soon...
The view from our hotel balcony in Corfu on the west side of the island. It was a beautiful place. It was a resort style place and there were many families here for the height of summer. We enjoyed it very much and it was super relaxing...very much needed.
On our return to the airport in Corfu, we stopped in a little town on the east side of the island, purchased towels at a little stand, and planted ourselves at a little beach for one more swim. It's definitely too much of a temptation not to get in the water one more time before you leave this beautiful place! Corfu is a gorgeous island and I highly recommend a visit :)
One of the stops on our visit around Corfu was the beach near Glyfada...it was packed full of beach-goers. A very nice place!
So these have been my adventures so far this summer since July. In addition to working many hours during the week, getting out and about around the city when I can, turning the splendid age of 41 in early August, spending time with friends, hosting a few visitors at my house, running when I can, and generally just taking care of daily tasks around the house, this has been my extraordinary life here! :) Yes, I am truly fortunate and am trying to take advantage of every opportunity presented to me.
Until next time,
From sunny Athens,
Becky :)
Song in my head: Nina Simone "Feelin' Good" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5Y11hwjMNs
